Joe Carter
Joseph Christopher Carter (born March 7 1960 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) is a former right fielder in Major League Baseball who played from to , most famous for hitting a walk-off home run to win the 1993 World Series, with the Toronto Blue Jays trailing 6-5 to the Philadelphia Phillies, just two outs away from a seventh game. As Tom Cheek would say: "Touch e'm all Joe, you will never hit a bigger home run in your life!" Career College Joe Carter attended Wichita State University, but left after his junior year. Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians Carter first reached the majors in with the Chicago Cubs, but was then traded to the Cleveland Indians, where he blossomed into a star. Carter emerged as a prolific power hitter, hitting as many as 35 home runs in a season and regularly driving in 100 or more runs. He usually hit a similar amount of doubles as he did homers, and would get respectable numbers of triples in many years, as well. He was also a very good baserunner, stealing 20-30 bases a year with a high rate of success. However, he was not considered a good defensive outfielder, and actually spent an entire season dividing his time between first base and DH, without a single inning in the outfield. The Indians publicly criticized his defense and low batting average after he left, but he produced a great deal more than the players he was traded for by them, and the GM who made the most overt negative comments was fired for his own performance. San Diego Padres After the season, Carter was traded to the San Diego Padres for prospects Sandy Alomar, Jr., Carlos Baerga, and Chris James. Although he continued to drive in runs, he continued to have defensive problems. The Padres subsequently dealt him to the Toronto Blue Jays along with Roberto Alomar in exchange for star players Fred McGriff and Tony Fernández. Toronto Blue Jays Carter's overall game improved dramatically in , helping the Toronto Blue Jays win the division title and hitting the game-winning single that clinched the AL East Championship. In , he helped the Jays win their first World Series championship, the first ever won by a Canadian-based team. Carter himself hit two home runs and recorded the final out of the Series, taking a throw to first base from reliever Mike Timlin to nab Otis Nixon of the Atlanta Braves. 1993 World Series In , the Blue Jays reached the World Series again, facing the Philadelphia Phillies. In Game 6, with the Blue Jays leading three games to two, Carter came to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning with the Blue Jays trailing 6-5 and Rickey Henderson and Paul Molitor on base. On a 2-2 count, Carter hit a three-run walk-off home run off Phillies pitcher Mitch Williams (a hurler against whom he was 0-4 career) to win the World Series, only the second time a Series has ended with a home run (the other being in 1960, when Bill Mazeroski did it), and the only time the home run has been hit by a player whose team was losing. Upon hitting the home run, Carter went into a hysteria, jumping up and down many times most notably rounding first base, where his helmet came off from the dancing. Tom Cheek, radio broadcaster for the Blue Jays at the time, then went on to say "Touch 'em all, Joe! You'll never hit a bigger home run in your life!" 1994-1997 Carter continued to play for the Blue Jays until , and led the Blue Jays in home runs and RBIs in 1994 and 1995. However, the Blue Jays went from first to worst in 1995, and never posted a winning season in the 1994-1997 stretch. Baltimore Orioles and San Francisco Giants He became a free agent and in played briefly for the Baltimore Orioles and San Francisco Giants before retiring. Career statistics Carter was named to five All-Star teams. In his career he hit 396 home runs and drove in 1445 RBI. He drove in 100 runs in a season ten times, including the year, which was cut short due to the strike that happened about 110 games into the year. One of Carter's most interesting records is that he was the first (only?) player to record 100 RBIs for three different teams in three consecutive seasons. Post retirement From - Carter served as announcer for the Toronto Blue Jays on CTV Sportsnet, leaving to work for the Cubs. From - Carter served as the color commentator, alongside play-by-play man Chip Caray, for the Chicago Cubs on WGN-TV. Carter was replaced by the man whom Carter himself replaced, Steve Stone. Carter was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. In September 2006, Carter was awarded the Major League Baseball Hometown Heroes Award as the former or current player who best represents the legacy of his franchise's history, as voted by fans. In 2008, Carter appeared on an episode of Pros vs. Joes. See also * Top 500 home run hitters of all time * List of major league players with 2,000 hits * List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles * List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs * List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI * 30-30 club * List of Major League Baseball RBI champions * Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game External links * *The Sporting News' Baseball's 25 Greatest Moments: Carter's Swing Beats the Wild Thing *Radio play-by-play by Tom Cheek of Joe Carter's 1993 World Series winning home run Category:1992 Toronto Blue Jays World Series Championship Team Category:1993 Toronto Blue Jays World Series Championship Team Category:Major League Baseball right fielders Category:Toronto Blue Jays players Category:Baltimore Orioles players Category:Chicago Cubs players Category:Cleveland Indians players Category:San Diego Padres players Category:San Francisco Giants players Category:American League All-Stars Category:Major League Baseball players from Oklahoma Category:African American baseball players Category:American League RBI champions Category:Major League Baseball announcers Category:People from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Category:Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Category:Players Category:Canadian television sportscasters Category:Wichita State University alumni